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Tai Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He began his career in his home country, playing for the Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL. After a two-year stint playing college basketball for Kentucky, Wynyard returned to the Australian and New Zealand NBL. In 2023, he played for the Canterbury Rams and helped New Zealand win bronze at the 3x3 FIBA Asia Cup. On 9 January 2024, Wynyard joined the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). So, as of 2024, Tai Wynyard is still in basketball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Tai Hikuroa Wynyard |
| Date of Birth | 5 February 1998 |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Height | 6 feet 9 inches |
| Current Club | Shanghai Sharks |
| Previous Clubs | Canterbury Rams, Cairns Taipans, Southland Sharks, Kentucky, Santa Clara, New Zealand Breakers, Super City Rangers |
| Notable Achievements | Youngest Tall Black, Led the Junior Tall Blacks in the Oceania Championships in Fiji, Won bronze at the 3x3 FIBA Asia Cup |
| Family | Parents: Jason and Karmyn Wynyard (world champion woodchoppers), Brother: Tautoko Wynyard (basketball player) |
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Tai Wynyard's career timeline
Tai Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Here is a timeline of his career so far:
2014
Wynyard began his career in his home country, playing for the Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL. On 15 July, he became the youngest Tall Black when he played against South Korea in Wellington. He also played for his school's basketball team, helping them win the Auckland premier championship.
2015
Wynyard helped lead the Tall Blacks to the Stanković Cup title.
2017
Wynyard was named in a 12-man Junior Tall Blacks squad for the Under-19 World Cup in Cairo in July. He played in all seven contests during the tournament, averaging team highs of 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
2018
Wynyard suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for much of the 2017-18 season. He was also suspended from the Kentucky basketball team due to a violation of team rules. In April, he left Kentucky and returned to New Zealand. In May, he transferred to Santa Clara but didn't play due to NCAA regulations. On 28 March, he signed with the Southland Sharks for the 2019 New Zealand NBL season.
2019
In June, Wynyard set his career-high in blocks in a New Zealand NBL game against the Manawatu Jets, with 4 blocks, 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. In September, he signed with the Cairns Taipans of the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2019-20 season.
2022
On 7 January, Wynyard re-signed with Taranaki, now known as the Airs, for the 2022 New Zealand NBL season.
2023
On 20 March, Wynyard signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2023 New Zealand NBL season. In April, he helped New Zealand win bronze at the 3x3 FIBA Asia Cup and earned all-tournament team honours. On 28 April, he set his career-high efficiency in a New Zealand NBL game against Southland, with 42 efficiency. In May, he left the Rams to play in the CBA 3x3 Super League in China.
2024
On 9 January, Wynyard joined the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He appeared in two games for the Sharks. On 7 December, he signed with the New Zealand Breakers as an injury replacement player.
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Tai Wynyard's basketball stats
Tai Hikuroa Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Born on February 5, 1998, he is six feet and nine inches tall and plays as a center.
Wynyard began his career in his home country, playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL. In 2014, he averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in nine games for the Rangers.
After his time with the Rangers, Wynyard moved to the United States to play college basketball for Kentucky. However, his time with Kentucky was marred by a back injury and a suspension for violating team rules. Across two seasons, he played just 97 minutes and scored 19 points.
Following his stint with Kentucky, Wynyard returned to the New Zealand NBL, signing with the Southland Sharks for the 2019 season. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 19 appearances.
Wynyard then signed with the Cairns Taipans of the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2019-2020 season. On June 27, 2019, he set a career-high in blocks with 4 during a game against the Manawatu Jets, also scoring 19 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.
On January 7, 2022, Wynyard re-signed with Taranaki, now known as the Airs, for the 2022 New Zealand NBL season. He averaged 12.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
In March 2023, Wynyard signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2023 New Zealand NBL season. On April 16, he set a career-high in points with 35 against the Manawatu Jets. During his time with the Rams, he also set a career-high efficiency rating of 42.
Wynyard left the Rams in May 2023 to play in the CBA 3x3 Super League in China, joining the Shanghai Sharks. He then returned to the New Zealand Breakers in December 2024 as an injury replacement player.
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Tai Wynyard's personal life
Tai Wynyard is the son of world champion woodchoppers Jason and Karmyn Wynyard. His grandfather, Pae Wynyard, was also a world champion in the same sport, and his uncles compete as well. Wynyard's mother played college basketball for the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves from 1992 to 1995. His brother, Tautoko, joined him at the Canterbury Rams in 2023.
Born and raised in Auckland, Wynyard attended Rangitoto College and helped the school's basketball team win the Auckland premier championship in 2014. That year, he travelled to the United States to play in the Jordan Brand Classic. On 15 July 2014, Wynyard became the youngest Tall Black when he played against South Korea in Wellington. He later missed out on the final squad for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain but led the Junior Tall Blacks in the Oceania Championships in Fiji in December.
Wynyard was suspended from the Kentucky basketball team in February 2018 due to a violation of team rules. He had reportedly attended a party with a person carrying a gun. He left Kentucky in April 2018 and returned to New Zealand. In May of the same year, he transferred to Santa Clara but did not play for the Broncos due to NCAA regulations.
In March 2019, Wynyard signed with the Southland Sharks for the 2019 New Zealand NBL season. He then signed with the Cairns Taipans of the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2019–20 season. In June 2020, Wynyard was acquired by the Taranaki Mountainairs for the 2020 New Zealand NBL season. He re-signed with the Mountainairs for the 2021 season and then again in January 2022, entering the season after a significant weight loss. In March 2023, Wynyard signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2023 New Zealand NBL season. He left the Rams in May 2023 to play in the CBA 3x3 Super League in China.
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Tai Wynyard's career achievements
Tai Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player who began his career in his home country with the Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL.
In 2014, Wynyard became the youngest Tall Black when he played against South Korea in Wellington. He then led the Tall Blacks to the 2015 Stanković Cup title and played in the FIBA Oceania Championship series against Australia. In 2015, he committed to the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program and played college basketball for two years.
After returning to the Australian and New Zealand NBL, Wynyard signed with the Cairns Taipans of the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2019-20 season. He then moved between several teams in the New Zealand NBL, including the Taranaki Mountainairs/Airs, Southland Sharks, and Canterbury Rams.
Wynyard has achieved notable accomplishments with these teams, such as setting his career-high in points (35) with the Canterbury Rams in 2023 and career-high in rebounds (17) with Taranaki in 2021. He also helped lead New Zealand to a bronze medal at the 3x3 FIBA Asia Cup in 2023, earning all-tournament team honours.
Wynyard's career has had some setbacks, including a suspension from the Kentucky basketball team in 2018 due to team rule violations and a back injury that sidelined him for part of the 2017-18 season. However, he has continued to pursue his basketball career and develop his skills, as evidenced by his improved performance in the 2022 season after a dedicated off-season training regime.
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Tai Wynyard's career setbacks
Tai Wynyard, a New Zealand basketball prodigy, has had a promising career, but not without setbacks. Here are some of the challenges he has faced:
In 2014, Wynyard became the youngest 'Tall Black' when he played against South Korea in Wellington. However, he missed out on making the final squad for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. This setback did not deter him, and he went on to lead the Junior Tall Blacks in the Oceania Championships in Fiji later that year.
During the 2017-18 season, Wynyard suffered a back injury, sidelining him for a significant period. He injured a disc in his back, which could have potentially ended his season. Despite this, he was suspended from the Kentucky basketball team in February 2018 due to a violation of team rules. It was reported that he attended a party where someone was carrying a gun. As a result, he left Kentucky and returned to New Zealand in April 2018.
After a brief stint with Santa Clara, Wynyard had to sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA regulations. He then signed with the Southland Sharks for the 2019 New Zealand NBL season.
Wynyard's career has had its ups and downs, but he has persevered and continued to develop as a player. He has represented his country, played in multiple leagues, and improved his performance over time. In 2022, he re-signed with Taranaki (now known as the Airs) for the New Zealand NBL season, showcasing his continued pursuit of excellence in the sport.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Tai Wynyard is still playing basketball. As of 2023, he was playing for the Canterbury Rams in the New Zealand NBL.
In 2022, Tai Wynyard played for Taranaki Airs in the New Zealand NBL.
Tai Wynyard has played for the following teams:
- Super City Rangers
- New Zealand Breakers
- Kentucky
- Santa Clara Broncos
- Southland Sharks
- Cairns Taipans
- Taranaki Airs
- Canterbury Rams
- Shanghai Sharks/Shanghai Juss
Tai Wynyard began his basketball career in his home country of New Zealand, playing for the Breakers in the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers in the New Zealand NBL.
Tai Wynyard's playing style is suited to 3x3 basketball, which he describes as "fast-paced" and "exciting". He has said that he enjoys the opportunity to play both 3x3 and 5x5 basketball in the Asian market.
